A pair of ex-Rough Riders, a former prostitute, a gunfighter, an aging cowboy and an English gentleman enter a 700-mile horse race through the Southwest desert in 1908.A pair of ex-Rough Riders, a former prostitute, a gunfighter, an aging cowboy and an English gentleman enter a 700-mile horse race through the Southwest desert in 1908.A pair of ex-Rough Riders, a former prostitute, a gunfighter, an aging cowboy and an English gentleman enter a 700-mile horse race through the Southwest desert in 1908.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 1 win & 2 nominations total
- Lee Christie
- (as Robert Hoy)
- Steve
- (as Walter Scott Jr.)
- Billy
- (as Bill Burton)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film was inspired by the 1908 700-mile cross-country horse race from Evanston, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado. It was sponsored by the Denver Post, which offered $2,500 prize money to the winner.
- GoofsAs the third (Jan-Michael Vincent) of three riders is exiting the train at the race station (close to the 12 minute mark), you can clearly see a crew member wearing t-shirt, sun-glasses and wrist watch, looking perfectly mid-1970's.
- Quotes
Mister: God, what ain't I tried. Pony express rider, Overland Stage driver, lawman, gambler, riverman, rancher, rodeo hand, barman, spittoon man... old man. Never much to remember. Of course, there ain't much to forget, either. Nobody's got much use for an old man. I can't blame 'em much. That's why I'm going to win this here newspaper race. When I cross the finish line, I get to be a big man. Top man. A man to remember.
- Alternate versionsUK version is cut (ca. 10 sec.) to remove sight of cruelty to horses (illegal horse falls) due to the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Behind the Action: Stuntmen in the Movies (2002)
"Bite the Bullet," "Monte Walsh," "Ulzana's Raid," and films like them tell a different story where animals and people suffer, people die for no good reason, and there are no heroes. The emphasis in these films is on telling a true story with all the mundane unpleasantness left intact. "Bite the Bullet" is not a feel-good film, but it does offer a realistic portrayal of an endurance race by choosing an assortment of standard western types and evaluating them through the eyes of one reluctant participant. I can't fault those who criticize the movie cliches in this film, because they are there and they are annoying, but I still admire this film for showing the race itself was a worthless and destructive enterprise for all the casual participants. Considering the support given cliché-driven movies like "Silverado" and sensationalistic extravaganzas like "Lonesome Dove," "Bite the Bullet," in my opinion, deserves a larger audience and a better overall IMDB rating than it has gotten.
- DFC-2
- Oct 25, 1999
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- 700 Meilen westwärts
- Filming locations
- White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA(filmed on location in: The White Sands National Monument, New Mexico)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $4,000,000 (estimated)
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